Archive for February, 2015

We have some important updates regarding the LMIA exempt work permits utilized by religious or charitable camps. The new process to apply for an LMIA exempt work permit is outlined at the following web-page:

It has also been announced that the new $230 employer compliance fee will NOT be charged for staff working at religious or charitable camps who are earning less than minimum wage.

Although this is a very big win for our industry, our government lobbying team still has a long way to go to make sure all camps have a suitable solution for acquiring their international staff. We will be sure to provide updates on their efforts, but please feel free to contact Jonathan Nyquist (jonathan@go-nyquest.com) or Mark Diamond (mark@manitoucamp.com) if you have any specific questions.

Beautifully written in a popular style, “It’s not just camp”, recounts day to day realities for families living under the specter of cancer and attests to the therapeutic power of camp. In this qualitative study, Laing meticulously explores by way of philosophical hermeneutics what others within the field of oncology have often only expressed through objective quantitative approaches.

An important and courageous addition for the medical journals and camp research, this work challenges the hard science of medical economics. Particularly intriguing are her future plans to explore the concept of social return on investment (SROI) which assigns a monetary value to items traditionally non-valued, overlooked, or misunderstood such as quality of life and self-confidence. Dr. Laing presents herself as a true advocate for social medicine who hopes to expand the perspective of oncologists towards viewing cancer camp as a therapeutic imperative.

We wanted to get in touch with a short-term, significant change to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

The government has recently announced a new ’employer compliance fee’ of $230 and a new required pre-application process for any organization that hires staff through an LMIA exemption. This includes camps who hire foreign workers through the Religious or Charitable LMIA Exempt work permit. Please refer to the following notice for further details: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/notices/2015-02-09.asp.

Despite our best efforts to connect with the government on this, we do not know if this fee will be per individual worker or just per employer. The fee does not come into effect until February 21st, 2015 and so your camp may want to submit your foreign worker applications before that time. The actual LMIA exempt work permit itself, that a foreign worker will pick up at the border/airport, is still fee-exempt.

By contacting the email addresses below (depending on where you are located), you will be able to receive the application information required to submit an assessment of your eligibility for the LMIA exemption.

The CCA government lobbying team will be back in Ottawa on February 20th to address this issue as well as continue to develop short and long term solutions for our industry. In the mean time, if we hear any definitive news on the $230 fee that does not make this action so pressing, we will be sure to let you know!

We may need your support in contacting the government regarding this matter, but we recommend waiting until further information is provided following next week’s meeting.

In 2014, SterlingBackcheck processed a record 3,354 Criminal Record Checks for the many Canadian camps that trust SterlingBackcheck to provide the most accurate and complete pre-employment screening available.

For the seventh year, CCA partners with Andrea Koehle Jones, Executive Director of the ChariTREE Foundation, to offer free seedlings to all Canadian camps. Feedback confirms that this program inspires and educates campers while serving practical needs for camps.

This program is open to all Canadian camps, including those that planted trees in previous years. Given the known benefits to camps and campers, we urge all camps to join the program in a big or small way.

Ordering

By April 7, 2015, contact your provincial representative (listed below) and place your order including the number of trees and the location where they will be planted. You may chose to plant between 40 and 800 trees.

Andrea accesses the trees from nurseries in each province; therefore, the seedlings are suitable for growing conditions in your province.

The trees are packed in packages of 20 in cardboard boxes.

Delivery

You will be notified by your representative precisely when (the date will be within the last two weeks of June) and where the trees are available for pick up in your province.

Andrea’s commitment is to deliver the total order for each province to one location, which is chosen by the provincial representative. Your representative will notify each participating camp of this location prior to submitting your order. Each camp is responsible for collecting their order from this location or pre-arranging to pay for delivery to their campsite.

Andrea has found that Greyhound bus is the least expensive way to ship seedlings. If you do not receive your seedlings on the expected date, please notify your provincial representative.

The trees may be stored in a dark, cool location for a maximum of two weeks before planting.

The camp agrees to:

Go online promptly and acknowledge the receipt of their trees directly to Andrea. Andrea needs this information to satisfy her donors that their contribution is being used wisely and assists her in seeking future donations. Camps that do not meet this obligation will forgo the opportunity to access free trees in future years.

We are saddened to share the news of the recent passing of Joyce Bertram.

Joyce was Director at Camp Ouareau from 1953 to 1970. She also served as Program Coordinator at Toronto’s Havergal College. Joyce was a Fellow with the Society of Camp Directors and was also an Honorary Life Member of the Ontario Camps Association.

A service will be held at Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles – Newbigging Chapel (1403 Bayview Avenue, Toronto) on Monday, February 9 at 11:00 am.

We extend our condolences to Joyce’s family, friends, and the Camp Ouareau community on behalf of all Canadian camps.

Sol Birenbaum, Co-owner and Director of Camp Walden in Ontario, is glad his camp has signed on with Foodbuy.

“Foodbuy has provided our camp with a tremendous annual financial benefit,” says Sol. “We were also surprised and impressed by the number of times we took advantage of their advice and willingness to advocate on our behalf.”

Save on your food costs this summer by joining the many camps that are already benefiting from the Foodbuy program.

Fore more information about Foodbuy, please visit their website at www.foodbuy.ca.

You can also contact Foodbuy’s Brian Laughton at 1-800-465-2203 Ext 564 or at Brian.Laughton@Foodbuy.ca to learn more and get a free savings analysis completed for your camp!